Snapshots
by PuncturedButterfly
Summary: A collection of oneshots revolving around BioWare's newest (and probably awesomest) addition to the Dragon Age franchise. Rated T atm, but may change depending on what content I add.
1. Frist Impressions

[A/N:] BioWare crushed my hopes of having a same-sex relationship with Cassandra… and this is my means of coping with it. Because, y'know, I somehow gotta _let it go, let it gooo, can't hold it back anymoreeee!_

Ehem. But enough of that. This'll be a collection of snapshots (hence the name, huh huh) picturing my not-so-canon-anymore DA:I OTP Qunari!Femquisitor x Cassandra Pentaghast. This is for y'all heartbroken folks out there who crossed their fingers really, really hard… and, sadly, in vain!

Disclaimer: If I owned Dragon Age… You know the story.

* * *

She was tall — all sharp features and rough edges — and the Seeker couldn't stop staring at the crest of horns adorning her head. When she turned and bored those breathtakingly violet eyes into her skull, she positively recoiled, even if just a bit.  
Maker, was this qunari even real? Cassandra had never seen a female qunari warrior before and — judging from the looks the others gave her — neither had them. She was clad in the dark, cotton-styled armor all qunari wore and carried a giant broadsword on her back.

She stood there, impassively, as the secretary went to fetch Laric. A guard — according to the plate he wore on his sleeve, a lieutenant — took a step forward. He glared up at the incredibly tall woman, probably feeling dwarfed, and not just by her commanding posture.  
"Don't get any funny ideas, just because the seneschal will hear you out, _qunari._ Your kin brings nothing but trouble with them." He all but spat the words to her feet, a hand resting on the pommel of his sword in silent threat. Cassandra eyed the woman; she didn't even flinch.

"I am not a qunari." He glanced at her from below, "What?" Her eyes darted to his as she repeated herself, her tone still completely devoid of emotion, "I am not a qunari. The word you're looking for is _kossith._" She tilted her head downward and Cassandra couldn't help but smirk at how obvious it made their height difference.  
"But I shouldn't be surprised a meek, uneducated human foot soldier wouldn't know the difference." His face went beet red at this insult and his hands twitched. When he spoke it came out as an indignant yell, "What do you think me for, insolent outlander?! You waltz in here like you own this place and pretend to be a warrior?! As a _woman,_ nonetheless!"

He shoved his face up to hers, and Cassandra thought his spirits must have left him as he so clearly picked a fight with the woman. "It's time someone put you horned demons back into your place!" In the instant his hand slipped to grab his sword, the qunari already had hers around his throat in a crushing death grip. Her fist flared in bilious green light, magic perhaps?  
A strangled yelp was what followed as he dropped his weapon in shock, his feet kicking helplessly at the air. The woman lifted him up easily, a stoic but certainly displeased look in her smoldering eyes and she brought him near her. A collective rattle echoed through the hall as the other guards all drew their swords, uneasy at what to do.

Cassandra looked on impressed as the qunari spoke to him in a dangerous timbre, "As a karasten, you should always show discipline before your men, but you…" Her testing gaze seized his squirming form before she dropped him to the ground, his armor clanking. "You are not basalit-an, not even of death through my hand."

The man stared at her, wide-eyed, and held his aching throat. The guards around them were glancing from and to one another, not daring to intervene and end up causing a bloodshed in the seneschal's offices — especially if it involved a dead female qunari ambassador.

The woman righted herself, once again crossing her arms before her chest, and reverted back to staring up the stairs. The guard lieutenant scrambled back to his feet, not making a sound because his throat was probably bruised, and glared at her one last time before turning and leaving.

The seeker narrowed her eyes, the smallest of smirks tugging up her lips, and she kept watching with bemused interest when Laric's secretary came back and led her up the stairs into his office. She towered over the poor man and though he was a professional, his discomfort was obvious. Cassandra swore she saw the qunari throw her another glance before she disappeared behind closed doors.

_Right, it's called __**kossith,**__ not qunari._

She had heard the differentiation a few times by now, but to her all of those bronze-skinned giants were qunari. According to the news of the dilemma in Kirkwall a few years ago, there had been elves who had left the Free Marches and went to Rivain, where they converted to the qun. Apparently, those were also called qunari.  
She pursed her lips; maybe the distinction was necessary after all. Cassandra crossed her legs under the table and reopened the book in her lap. _What an interesting encounter,_ she thought. But if that woman didn't count herself to the qunari, then what exactly was she?

* * *

[A/N:] Since I'm writing all this long before DA:I will be released, I ask you not to send me word vomit on how OOC the characters are and whatnot. Because, frankly, I don't care :-P

This is how I see them for the time being and what I could imagine they would act like. Plus, this setup is apparently complete bullshit, so please keep that in mind. The OCs are minor pawns in my grand scheme and I won't bother with them too much.

Anyhow, I can't tell you how much I will be uploading, when it will happen, or if all of these oneshots will eventually end up as a lengthy story in Swiss cheese style because there are plot holes or the like. I guess we'll figure that out as we go :-P


	2. Over Hedge and Ditch

[A/N:] Welcome back to the escapades of Qunari!Femquisitor and her merry band of misfits! I might spoiler you guys a little, and you might need to have read "The Masked Empire" to understand what's going on. Tough, I think it's not entirely necessary… But it'll spice up your fun ;-)

Now, let's get going and enjoy!

* * *

The night was mostly silent, the campsite illuminated only through the fire and a few torches they put up. Cassandra sat on a fallen trunk by her tent, shining her blade and keeping an eye on the surroundings — or rather the Inquisitor in the middle of a midnight workout.

She was stripped of her heavy armor, only clad in the cotton-styled leather garment that functioned as a suit beneath the scrubbing armor itself. Nevertheless, her skin texture was rough — rougher than a human's, certainly rougher than an elf's, probably comparable to a dwarf's — and her palms calloused from the fighting.

Her stance was broad and imposing, just how Cassandra had imagined it for a qunari. _**Kossith,**_ she reminded herself once more, though the distinction was still illusive to her. She ate a handful of dried berries and continued back to her work.

The kossith woman had made her point clear in Orlais and had quickly risen to be the leader of probably the most controversial of organizations known to Thedas at the moment — the Inquisition. As the Inquisitor, the woman was in charge of the fledging beginnings of a crusade to repair the giant tear in the veil that had suddenly appeared in the sky.

She had talked to seneschal Laric a few weeks ago and bidden for an appointment with Empress Celene. Due to the current civil war and because word had reached Val Royeaux that the Empress had vanished and was presumed dead, the seneschal hadn't been able to do anything for her of course. And so the woman had taken it upon herself to travel to Halamshiral — the Empress' last known location before she disappeared.

That was their current destination. Curiously enough, the kossith warrior had gathered a surprisingly famous band of certain personalities well-known not only in Val Royeaux, but also Kirkwall and Ferelden. The last two of which included the infamous storyteller, Varric Tethras, and the notorious bard and Left Hand of the Divine herself, Leliana. Leliana, who was practically her own closest ally due to their ties to Justinia, which was certainly a bonus, though the Seeker didn't really like her or her personality.

The redhead had been traveling with the group for the longest while before departing in Lydes, to follow her own agendas no doubt. Cassandra pursed her lips; she knew Justinia had her eye upon many things happening in Thedas, particularly in Orlais for now, but she didn't like leaving things in the hand of another. Though, Leliana was more than capable.

She didn't realize the violet gaze resting upon her and only snapped her head towards the Inquisitor when her long shadow stopped dancing across the ground. Her whetstone had long since stopped sharpening the blade in her hand and for a second the two women just stared at each other.  
The kossith warrior hefted her blade up and rested it against the trunk where she sat beside Cassandra. Her eyes were transfixed upon the Seeker another moment before she turned towards the flames, arms on her knees. "You seem troubled, Cassandra. Is something the matter?"

That earned her a startled look, "…You used my name," but the kossith was unsurprised. "Humans use their first names to refer to each other, don't they?" Cassandra frowned, "Yes, we do."

"Then why are you so surprised?" The Seeker straightened, not particularly comfortable with being called caught off-guard by something so trivial, really. "I'm not. You just didn't address me directly before. I noticed, that's all." The Inquisitor leaned back, rolling her shoulder and exhaling at the satisfying _crack_ it made.  
"There was no need to. You knew when I needed something from you and did so right away. Why bother with pleasantries when everything is already settled?" The rhetorical tone in her low voice indicated for the Seeker to take some time to come up with a response. She realized she could nothing but agree.

"True." She turned her face away, "Still, it's a first." There was a quiet, hard exhale to her left and she suspected it was meant to be a laugh. She didn't comment on the foreign, unexpected sound. Silence settled on them once more, only the crackling of the fireplace to disturb the quiet, until—

"Cassandra."

She turned her head.

"Cassandra."

Quirked her eyebrow.

"_Cassandra._"

"_What?_" This time there appeared a small grin on the Inquisitor's features and for the first time Cassandra saw her sharp canines exposed in something else than a grim expression. "You have a good name. Maybe I _should_ use it more often."  
There was an almost friendly twinkle in her violet eyes before the woman picked up her sword and disappeared in her tent. Cassandra was left behind with a bewildered look on her face as she turned the conversation over and over again in her head.

She turned back to her sword, whetstone grinding along the blade, and she couldn't help but wonder if the Inquisitor had just flirted with her.

"_Cassandra…_" she mumbled.

* * *

[A/N:] …I just realized that "Qunari!Femquisitor" might not be the accurate expression. I should change it to "Kossith!Femquisitor" one of these days, now shouldn't I? :-P


	3. Merry Band of Misfits

[A/N:] This is sort of a tribute to the quirky party banter between the Iron Bull and Sera that we could hear in the gameplay trailers of E3. I found it quite funny and thought I could pick this up, so here you go ^^

* * *

By the time the band reached the Winter Palace, Cassandra was sure she was the favorite target of teasing for the Iron Bull and Sera. Those two had quickly grown to be best buds, bonding over the silliest things like bad jokes, sexual innuendoes, alcohol and women — oh, and the fact that they both took absolutely _nothing_ serious.

It was maddening to say the least, and Cassandra — who somehow happened to always be caught in the middle of those two — was mercilessly being bullied for her common no-nonsense attitude. Vivienne, the Orlesian mage and Enchantress to the Imperial Court, had quickly taught them not to mess with her and they had swiftly given up on harassing her after a certain incident with burned undergarments.  
And despite the fact that she herself could execute some sort of punishment for their little shenanigans, Cassandra considered herself above such. Plus, scorched undergarments were definitely the more _imprinting_ lesson and she simply couldn't top that. Not that she'd admit to that.

So for the remainder of the day, the Seeker had chosen to retreat to her assigned chambers and go easy at it until dinner. The Inquisitor and Vivienne had already had an audience with Her Radiance and the Empress had invited them all to dine with her.

Vivienne was quite familiar with her, if it could be called that, and she had told Cassandra in passing that Celene was intrigued at entertaining a qunari for one. **_Kossith,_**_ it is,_ a voice echoed somewhere in Cassandra's mind.

The Empress had assigned two servants to each of them and the Seeker was currently presented with the sight of a long silken dress in dark violet and black. With a matching emblem of the Seekers of Truth on the back of course.

She could, naturally, just insist on wearing her armor for the occasion, but she figured it was the reigning Empress of Orlais inviting them to have dinner with her — while said Empress was still on the run from those trying to murder her.  
So maybe she should just accept her graciousness and go along. Also, she was curious if Celene was in possession of garbs fitting for a kossith. She tried to imagine the high and mighty warrior in a curve-hugging dress and couldn't help but chuckle. The two young maidens with the noble dress in hands just looked at her, bewildered and possibly outraged, thinking she was laughing off The Majesty's offerings.

In the end, Cassandra had yielded to the dress and was now walking towards the great ballroom. The walls were lined with expensive furs and banners of deep violet with the imposing golden lion imprinted. The soles of her silken boots clanked against the floor and the Seeker was relieved she didn't have to necessarily wear a mask as well.  
This was obviously courtesy of the Inquisitor herself, as Vivienne had told her a few hours ago that she refused to hide her face or the faces of her companions. _Nice work, Your Eminence,_ Cassandra thought rather mirthlessly.

The ballroom was spacious and nicely decorated — if you liked the most pompous furnishing imaginable. The violet and gold of House Valmont was the predominant color, even the tablecloths were in the same hue.  
Cassandra noticed the many servants shuffling about, and that the only guests at the time were their small group. Vivienne and Dorian were currently engaged in conversation with the Empress, a tall and grim-looking man in shining armor at her side, the Iron Bull and Sera were merrily feasting on the gracious dinner, while Blackwall, Varric, Cole and Solas were nowhere to be seen.

Speaking of—

She jumped at the slight touch to her shoulder, whipping her head around to meet the sharp gaze of the Inquisitor. Cassandra inhaled deeply through her nose, not giving her shock away, but the woman had noticed it anyway. She grinned thinly, "My apologies. I did not intend to startle you."  
"You didn't startle me," she blurted the automatic reply to cover up. The kossith however, said nothing and Cassandra refused to acknowledge her any further. Instead, she glanced down and saw the garment she was wearing — human men's clothes _in extra large._

She turned her head back to the ballroom, processing the information. Apparently, Celene did not possess a formal attire for a female kossith warrior. She allowed herself a smirk; that must have been a blow to her ego. For her, she who had everything.  
"Are you laughing at the suit?" Cassandra's smirk vanished as quickly as it had appeared and she locked eyes with the Inquisitor once more. "What? No, I…" She shook her head and attempted to speak again but the woman was faster.

"Then you are smiling because you like it?" Her jaw did not want to function — neither at the suggestion nor at that unmistakable twinkle in violet eyes — and the Seeker felt an embarrassed blush creep up on her cheeks. Much to her chagrin, it only spurred the bronze-skinned warrior on and she straightened, a grin curling her lips upwards, "I see."

She tugged on her collar, then nodded curtly, and promptly walked away, leaving a spluttered Seeker behind in her wake. Cassandra wrecked her brain for a thousand ways to maneuver herself out of this _unfortunate_ situation, but the Inquisitor was walking a brisk pace and out of earshot before she could actually reply anything.

So instead, Cassandra stood there and waited patiently for a servant to get close enough for her to snatch a glass of wine from the tablet. She took a gulp, blazing eyes never leaving the retreating back of the kossith woman in the finest men's robes of violet and gold.

* * *

[A/N:] I'd like to imagine that after the incident, Celene bought an entire wardrobe for kossith. Because she's rich as fuck, and she's got the connections. It'll probably be free of any charge for her anyway… And more prestige for her is never a bad thing, right?


	4. Scheming

[A/N:] Adamant Fortress looks freakin' sweet. I can't wait to bust in the doors and claim that place! Then I'm gonna put up my banners that'll look like giant popsicles and sit on my pre-order dragon throne xp

* * *

The heat was getting unbearable. The servants had all but ripped the windows open and the light breeze streaming through the stronghold was easing everyone's tension a little, though it wasn't exactly refreshing either.  
When Cassandra entered the war room, she spotted Leliana, Josephine and the Inquisitor all hunched over a set of papers. Josephine was animatedly pointing out several important things to the kossith woman, gesturing with her hands to emphasize her words.

Leliana stood beside them in silence, arms crossed as she listened. The Inquisitor herself had one hand on the table, supporting her while she thought. Her expression was grim and focused, just like it had been the first time Cassandra saw her in Laric's offices.

The Seeker joined them at the table. "We have already established several solid contracts with merchants from Orzammar, so we should have no problem maintaining our silverite supplies. However, we need to secure the highland routes for our trade partners from Cumberland and Nevarra," Josephine explained and glanced up at Cassandra in silent greet. The Inquisitor didn't acknowledge her at all.  
Leliana nodded enthusiastically, "That's right. The front soldiers are well-equipped, but if we don't want my men to end up with arrows in their chests, we need this drakeskin leather." Lady Montilyet nodded, "Yes. We can't afford to break off that contact."

The kossith warrior seemed to ponder that information as her burning violet eyes glided over the maps spread before her and thought about the most efficient way to solve this problem. The other three women stood by passively.  
Finally, she straightened and pointed to the Imperial Highway leading from Cumberland along the Waking Sea towards Orlais. "Then we will have to _purge_ that road. It's the fastest route to our forges in the Nahashin Marshes."

Josephine chewed on her lip, "Are you sure? The Grand Duke's forces still have a strong hold on Montfort and I haven't heard any news from Val Royeaux. The city must still be under siege." Leliana chimed in, obviously sharing her old friend's concerns, "Would it be wise to cross paths with Gaspard just yet?" She leant forward, mentioning at the Waking Sea. "We could always ship the supplies across to Amaranthine and transport them on Fereldan land. That would be much safer—"

"But also much slower, and more expensive." All eyes turned to Cassandra, who had taken a step forward as well. She held Josephine's and Leliana's gazes before settling on the one that would eventually make the decision, "Our men are ready to engage the Grand Duke in battle. With Val Royeaux fighting him on the front, he will be too occupied to watch his back." She made a pause, "We can win and drive him back."

The Inquisitor held her gaze, thinking. "…We would also be winning more support from the Empress and her sympathizers this way." There was this strange gleam of appreciation in her eyes, and Cassandra much rather concentrated on that than the disapproving frown on Josephine's face. She could understand her; Josephine was, after all, trying to avoid mass murder for the most part. Thus, she wasn't all that friendly with Cullen either.  
The Inquisitor nodded curtly, "Then it is settled. Josephine, tell Cullen to gather out forces. Leliana, I will need your men to ride forward and learn of the current situation. We will meet with them in one week in Val Foret and plan our attack."

"Inquisitor," Josephine bit farewell and made her way to the barracks. Leliana followed her out of the room. That left Cassandra alone with the kossith woman. She decided she would wait until she was addressed, folding her hands behind her back and studying the maps.

A soundly exhale — not enough to be a sigh, but not enough to go unnoticeable either — commanded her attention. "I appreciate your opinion, Cassandra. You have good intuition," she said matter-of-factly and placed several small wooden figurines on the Imperial Highway towards Val Foret, marking their destination.  
"Thank you, Inquisitor." The Inquisitor looked up sharply, holding Cassandra's gaze, before dropping it again. "You may call me by my name. It is not like we are foreigners." The Seeker didn't give anything away but a slight smirk, "I know. But I figured the qunari referred to each other by status, not by given name."

There was a strange expression in said kossith's eyes, but eventually she managed to return that grin. "Have you been studying their customs?" Cassandra shook her head, "No. And though you're not one of them, sometimes I find it quite fitting."

The warrior nodded. "I am surprised you deliberately make the distinction between kossith and qunari. I had assumed most humans would not acknowledge the difference between race and religion." Cassandra allowed herself to smack her lips, "Well, I am not like most humans." This time, the Inquisitor smiled, "True."

"Josephine was the first one to recognizing me as kossith. She is a very sophisticated woman, receptive to the functions and subtleties of this world." The Seeker wasn't sure what to make of that statement. "You sound almost fond of her." The kossith shrugged and joined her side, leaning against the table. Sensing the permission to be informal, Cassandra followed her example.

"I like her. She knows what needs to be done and does not shy away from doing it. She is…" she searched for the right expression, "…an iron fist beneath a velvet glove." The woman threw Cassandra a sideways glance to gauge if that made any sense to her, and the Seeker nodded. As she pondered this, she found it was actually a very fitting description of Lady Montilyet, and maybe the exact reason why she got along with her so well.

"She is a lot like you. Dedicated, hard working… You are both women of action, though your fields of expertise may differ." She leant back, "And while the sword is a mighty weapon in this war, it is the pen she wields that makes the great forces in this world turn their attention on us. I could not have asked for a better advisor."

Cassandra scrutinized her from the side, reading in the stoic curve of her face how strongly she believed in these words. She pursed her lips; it was astonishing how well this kossith warrior could read people and how fitting her impressions of them were. She wondered what the woman's impression of her was.

The Inquisitor, as if reading her mind, exhaled in a sharp laugh and pushed herself from the table. She gave Cassandra a small wave and walked away. It took her a while, but by the end of the day Cassandra stopped mid-walk in the hallways of Adamant Fortress, the meaning behind the woman's words finally sinking in.

For all her straightforward words and the impressive display of _muscle,_ the kossith had a surprisingly keen eye for the unapparent. Her choice of words was illusive and meaningful, but also incredibly close to the nature of what she was describing. Which meant…

Cassandra bristled, straightened, and strode to the conference room with her head held high and a pink hue on her cheeks.

* * *

[A/N:] Apparently it's canon that Cassandra's a hopeless romantic. Which is cute, but shit since the Lady!Inquisitor can't be her knight in shining armor. I know, I'm not gonna get off that horse's back ;-) (Also, if I get to own that horse in the game, its name shall be LadyRainicorn.)


End file.
